The instant invention relates to article storage systems and apparatus of the type in which articles or objects are stored upon an elongate storage conveyor, such as a belt conveyor. In particular, the invention relates to a system in which a transport assembly may be used to engage a drive wheel on the storage conveyor, driving the conveyor, and transport an object either from the transport assembly to the conveyor or off of the conveyor and onto the transport assembly.
In a warehousing system according to the invention, a plurality of storage conveyors may be arranged in vertical and horizontal rows. The transport assembly may be used to engage certain selected conveyors to drive same and store or retrieve objects. For the preferred embodiment, each warehouse includes at least two transport assemblies, one for loading objects onto the storage conveyor and one for retrieving objects therefrom.
A very wide variety of conventional warehousing systems is presently available. In some, objects are stored upon a non-powered storage conveyor. For these systems, the storage conveyor may be engaged by a truck or other assembly, when desired, so that the storage conveyor may be driven to move objects therealong and so that objects can be transferred between the storage conveyor and the truck.
In a warehouse in which there are a plurality of storage conveyors, it is often preferred that the storage conveyors not themselves be independently powered. That is, each conveyor does not include a motor associated therewith for transport of objects thereon. The reason for this is, in part, that with a large plurality of storage conveyors there would be a requirement for a large number of motors, and power equipment for the conveyors. Since this equipment would be idle for much of the time, inefficiencies would result. Also, such equipment may take up valuable space needed for storage.
Thus, it may be preferred that warehousing systems, such as that described above, be developed in which the storage conveyors are without independent power means. That is, a portable motor is provided which is in engagement with the storage conveyors when it is desired that they be driven.
While conventional systems in which a portable motor engages its storage conveyor, for driving same, are known, the conventional systems have been less than fully satisfactory. In some systems, a frictional engagement between a portable motor and the storage conveyor is used. However, friction systems have, in the past, met with only limited success. For example, a friction drive may be less efficient than is desirable especially with heavy loads, and engagement between the portable motor and the storage conveyor has been difficult to effect with security.
In at least one other system, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,267 issued to W. Jerome et al., a positive engagement between the drive motor and the conveyor is provided by means of a toothed drive sprocket or gear on the conveyor. While such a system shows improvement with respect to security of engagement, in the past there has not been provided an adequate means for ensuring easy engagement between the drive motor and the conveyor drive gear.
Conventional warehousing systems have generally failed to provide a good operational combination between the loading or unloading truck and the storage conveyor. Generally, for failure to provide an appropriate operational combination, conventional systems have been somewhat inefficient. Further, many of them have been relatively expensive to assemble or maintain.